On July 12 at Comic Con, the Twilight fansites got a chance to sit down with Mackenzie Foy, Renesmee in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2.” It was late in the day after she met with fans in line for Hall H the night before and won everyone’s hearts when she came bounding out on to the stage for the panel that morning. Here’s what she had to say!

Q: I’d really like to know what you learned about acting from the other cast members that you got to work with?

Mackenzie: Well, I learned the most by watching them because they would be themselves and then they would become the character that they become.

Q: Is there one thing that you learned by watching one person in particular, that you took in and thought “I want to be able to do that”?

M: There’s some cool stunts that everyone did, there’s a couple of flips and I thought that was very cool.

Q: Now do you want to do gymnastics?

M: (Laughs) No…

Q: You mentioned stunts in the panel… That you got to ride on the back of the ‘wolf Jacob’. Was that a stunt? Were you on a harness or something?

M: I was on a harness… It was really cool.

Q: You can’t tell us anything more?

M: No!

Q: They’ve got you trained!

M: (Laughs)

Q: Now, on the press conference you mentioned the swear jar… Who was the biggest offender?

M: Like I said, I don’t want anybody else to get in trouble! (laughs)

Q: Is there anybody who didn’t have to put any quarters in the swear jar?

M: Um… Stephenie (Meyer), Taylor (Lautner), Noel (Fisher), Dr. Guri (Weinberg), and there were some other people like Miss Tracey (Heggins), Miss Judi (Shekoni). Most of the Cullen guys. They didn’t say any swear words. Oh! And Miss Ashley (Greene). She didn’t say any.

Q: So, how much about Twilight did you know before you were cast for the part?

M: I knew about the first movie and the second movie.

Q: So you didn’t know they had a vampire hybrid baby?

M: I did kind of know because my friends would talk about it at Tae Kwon Do, and they would talk about the books and stuff to me.

Q: Have you since then read any of the books?

M: No, I’m not allowed to read them yet.

Mackenzie Foy during the fansite interview

Q: So how did your friends respond to you being cast for the part?

M: I was really, really, really excited.

Q: And what about your friends?

M: They were really excited too, they were really sweet and very supportive.

Q: How did you enjoy meeting the fans last night outside in the line?

M: I was happy because they were all really excited to see me and my friends. When I’d take a picture with somebody and sign an autograph they’d be really excited and that makes me really happy.

Q: Is there anything from the set, outfits or mementos that you got to take home or wanted to take home?

M: I got to keep a clip for my hair. It had a pretty little dragonfly on it and I got to keep it.

Q: Did they just use your hair or did they use some enhancements on your hair?

M: I had like half a wig, and it was shaped around my head and that way I could have super long curly hair. And they would have my hair over it (gestures to top layer of hair) and they would curl it and stuff.

Q: How long did it take you to get into your make up and hair?

M: About, like, 20 minutes or something?

Q: You had it easy!

M: (Laughs).

Q: Since you’re not allowed to read the books, were you allowed to watched the first Twilight movie?

M: I did. I watched the first and the second one, and I saw bits and pieces of Part 1.

Q: You were not allowed to watch the honeymoon, right?

M: No!

Q: You have good parents! You have very good parents!

M: I got to watch the wedding, and I sat through the birth scene.

Q: So what was your favorite part in the movies that you’ve seen?

M: I think they’re all really good. I like in the first one, how… I just like the first one. And I like the second one too, and all the parts I saw of Part 1.

Q: Did you like the wedding scene?

M: I thought it was really, really good.

Q: What was your first time meeting, Taylor, Kristen and Rob like?

M: Well I met Kristen and Rob in the hair and make up trailer, and I think the first time I met Taylor was… in the first scene actually.

Q: Really? And you didn’t meet him before?

M: I don’t think I did!

(long pause…)

Q: Was that awkward?

M: (laughs) No…

Q: Was he just like a big brother?

M: He was like a good friend.

Q: Did you have to go through any CGI work on the computer and make really cool stuff happen?

M: I did. I had to get a face scan, a body scan, and then I would have to sit on this chair that was like, surrounded by lights and cameras, and I had to sit and couldn’t move my head. I had to make facial expressions, and move my body without moving my head.

Q: Was Bill Condon there? Did he directed you?

M: He was there for most… I think he missed two? Because he was busy with other stuff.

Q: Did you like Bill?

M: I did, he was really sweet.

Q: Were there any interesting conversations that you had with Stephenie about the character?

M: No.

Q: Are you hoping for Renesmee to get her own spin off?

M: That would be fun!

Q: Would you be up for it?

M: Totally!

Q: How do you feel about the name Renesmee and the nickname Nessie?

M: I like it. I think it’s a really cool name because it’s like Renee and Esme. And I like the character that I play and that they call her Nessie, I think it’s cute.

Q: Did you get a chance to interact with the other actors who play the Cullens?

M: I did! With Miss Nikki we had American Idol night, and I played football with Taylor, I’m not very good at it (laughs).

Q: When you wrapped up did they show up for your last scene?

M: Yeah, it was just me and Kristen.

Q: You were the final two?

M: Yes.

Q: But the rest of the crew probably showed up right? “That’s a wrap on Mackenzie”!

M: The crew was there and the visual effects guy and all that stuff, because it had to do with the wolves. All the other cast, they weren’t wrapped yet, they just had the day off so it was just me and Kristen. It was nice.

Q: Did you have to act younger than you are now?

M: Um, I did. But it was like a body double, that way I have different bodies (in the movie) and they would have to put my face on their bodies. It’s kinda cool.

Q: If you came to Comic-Con, and not as a part of Twilight, what would you dress up as?

M: A traffic cone.

Q: Do you think you’re going to enjoy any of Comic-Con after today’s over?

M: I don’t know. But my dad is checking it out right now. I’m like “There’s an Incredible Hulk t-shirt, you should get me one!”

Q: Have you had any encounters where you’ve been spotted outside of events like these, where someone has recognized you?

M: Yes, I got noticed at the mall once.

Q: And did you have to take a picture or sign an autograph?

M: I took a picture with her.

Q: While they were filming, they filmed both movies at the same time, did you ever have one of the cast members come and be confused about shooting a film or a part for part 1 or part 2, was that confusing for anybody?

M: No, because we had two different films but we shot them simultaneously. So you get a mini-script where you get the scenes for the day, and it says if it’s for part 1 or part 2, and what the scene is.

Q: Right, and you didn’t have to worry too much about it because you were only on part two.

M: (laughs).

Q: Who was the biggest prankster on set? Or the biggest jokester?

M: Rob was pretty funny. He had some pretty funny jokes.

Q: He made you laugh a lot?

M: Yes. And Mr. Guri, he was really funny too.

Q: He is very funny.

M: He was, like, “Don’t call me Mr. Guri!” and then I said “Ok, Dr. Guri”. and now I call him Dr Guri.

Q: What’s your favorite part of being Renesmee?

M: I like all of it. It was my first movie character, and she’s a really good character to play because there’s just so many things involved in the character.

Q: Do you have new things coming out?

M: I do. I have a new film coming out called The Warren Files, and a new independent film called Plastic Jesus.

Q: I have to ask, do you like cats or dogs better?

M: I love dogs and cats, because I have two dogs and one cat.

Q: Well, that is probably better for Jacob in the long run.

M: (Laughs). I like dogs, they’re really cute. And I love kittens, they’re so soft.

Q: They were talking about how you lost a tooth during the filming?

M: I lost like five.

Q: So did you have like one of those bridges in?

M: I think I had like four flippers. And I lost a molar, but it was ok with that one.

Q: And now you have all your teeth.

M: Yes, I do. I have all my big girl teeth. I am growing new molars in the back.

Q: So did you have to go to the dentist and get the flippers set several different times?

M: I had to go to the flipper doctor. I usually go to one here, well not here-here but in LA. Dr. Smith, he’s the flipper doctor. And I had another flipper doctor in Vancouver.

Q: Did you film primarily just in Vancouver, or were you able to go to New Orleans also?

M: We had to shoot some of it in North Carolina, not North Carolina, Louisiana (laughs) and then we did in Vancouver.

Q: Awesome. Did you get to visit any cool places on your days off?

M: I did. We went to like this swampy kind of thing? (laughs). And we went to Cafe Du Monde.

Q: And are you looking forward to being part of the movie promo worldwide? And is there a country that you would like to visit?

M: I would like to visit China, I would like to visit London and Italy. I like Italy.

Q: Do you think you’ll get to go on something like The Tonight Show or David Letterman?

M: I don’t know!

Q: Have you thought about that?

M: I haven’t! (nervously).

Q: Oh, no, now I scared her! She’s going to panic, oh, no! Would you like to do something like that?

M: It would be fun! I’d like to go on The Ellen Show.

Q: You can show Ellen some of your Tae Kwon Do. That would be a great episode.

M: Yes!

And our time was up! Mackenzie is adorable, sweet and very bright. She handled a room full of media answering questions with poise and grace beyond her years. I look forward to seeing and hearing more of Mackenzie as we get closer to the premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2.”

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Amy is a lifelong fangirl, who gets most excited over The Twilight Saga, Harry Potter, Disney, Star Trek, superhero movies, and Broadway musicals. She’s Twilight fan fiction writer, Esme Mom Cullen, and her work is (mostly) focused on her favorite ship – Carlisle and Esme. She has the sarcasm and wit of a born and raised Jersey Girl, even though she now makes her home in Southern California. She currently works in the areas of communications and corporate social responsibility.